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My 2nd through 3rd week was rough! I was more tired and more nauseas. I think it is something about that magical 3rd week (my 3rd week after my hysterectomy was awful too!) And just a heads up if you haven't read it yet, there is a very infamous 3 week stall for most people, so stay off the scale or at least don't panic!

Don't stress what you can't control right now. It's the 3 week stall. Here's the scientific reason why it happens: A "stall" a few weeks after surgery is not uncommon, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs. of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when a patient is not getting in enough food, the body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. Then when 2 lbs. of glycogen is used a patient will also lose 8 lbs. of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs. that most people lose in the first week of a diet. However, when the body stays in a caloric deficit state the body starts to realize that this is not a short-term problem. Then the body starts mobilizing fat from adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But the body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. As it puts back the 2 lbs. of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs. of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though the patient might still be losing energy content to their body, the weight will not go down or it might even gain for a while as the retention of water dissolves the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

Calm down...it's the '3 week stall' - just put that in the search box. I have been stalled for a month with no scale movement - losing inches and clothing sizes - but not #s. I admit to being pissed about it, but figure it is part of the process. You digestion is adjusting, as well as your body, and you are still in the early stages of healing internally too. 6-8 ounces of protein at one sitting? Or the whole day?

The NP at my surgeons office has me at 1200 calories, not adding any back in with exercise. She said that anything under my body would think it's starving itself. Upping my calories helped me get out of a 3 week stall. I am 6 weeks post op.

Ellie, Congrats on the successful surgery! Also, it sounds like you have a good handle and attitude about recovery. I am sorry to hear about your throat. That must really hurt, but I guess since your just on liquids now it has a real chance to heal. Still would have been nice for the anesthesiologist to get it right given how much one seems to cost. ???? Keep up the great attitude! Remember there is a good likelihood for that 3 week stall. Just know that you have got this and the weight will start really coming off after your body has some time to heal. It's a marathon not a sprint, but you seem to have a great game plan for success. ????????

I also had this happen during the 3 week stall which is about which point you are at. I went up and down those same 3 pounds for 3 weeks and then the stall finally broke. It was depressing to be doing everything right and not see any results but its actually normal. So do your best not to stress too much and just stick to your plan and you'll see results again soon enough. Take care!

You'll know because over the course of the next week you should see regular weight loss. For many, this is the time when the weight just falls off, excluding the 3 week stall. As far as "how much", that's gonna depend on alot of factors. There is no set or normal amount. But you will see loss.

I have been happy with it so far. Had the typical 3 week stall but it only lasted 1 week. On surgery day I was 94 kilos, I only weigh myself on mondays, trying not to be ocd about the scales, so 5 days ago I was down to 81 kilos. First 2 weeks was the biggest drop 5 kilos, then it has been a consistent kilo a week once I got over the stall.

Thank you for this! I am in the 2-3 week stall and it's depressing. This helps! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Feeling a little defeated, it's been 8 weeks and I have only lost 23 lbs. I had an unbearable 2-3 week stall but thankfully that's over. Trying to stay positive but it's hard when my expectations are so high.

I'm at the dreaded "3 week stall" only I'm two days before the 3 weeks. But I'm not complaining. I'm down 17.5 lbs since surgery and people are noticing. I'm excited. But it's good to know I am not alone with the stall.

Reposting something I posted elsewhere: First, the most common reason for any stall, including the dreaded 3-week stall is simply that you are retaining more Water. There are a few reasons this happens, but around the 3-week mark it comes down to the fact that your body is adjusting to a low carb intake after converting from glycogen to ketones for energy. More water is needed to burn glycogen, so you were retaining more water pre-surgery than you are now that you're using primarily ketones for energy. At about the 3-week mark, your body eventually recognizes that the water loss is long term, so other mechanisms have started kicking in to start holding on to more water. This water loss due to the change between glycogen and ketones is the primary reason for "keto flu", and something that increases your risk of dehydration early after surgery. The other "reasons" for plateaus really don't apply as much at the 3 week mark, but will become more important later in the process. Let's cover those too though so you're prepared: As you lose more weight, your overall metabolic rate will slow down. People sometimes think fat is not metabolically active, but that's not true. Less fat means your metabolism slows down, even if you retain the same amount of muscle. As you lose weight, it takes less effort to move, so the amount of calories you burn from activity also drops quite a bit. As you progress, you'll be able to eat more and especially if you're not tracking intake closely by weighing and measuring your food, you can easily be eating a lot more than you think. This one may be TMI for some, but you may simply be retaining more stool. This is going to be hard for some people to hear, but I can tell you one thing it's not, and that's hormones. Yes, various hormonal processes negatively impact weight loss in a myriad of ways, but they don't overcome basic physics: if you eat less than you are burning, you'll lose weight. What these hormones can do if they're out of whack, is not good things like slowing your metabolism, increasing your hunger, screwing with water weight, or even fooling you into thinking you're eating less than you are. So, with all that sciency stuff out of the way, what do we actually do if we're in a stall? Well, I think it depends on when it happens and how long it lasts: If it's early (a.k.a. the 3-week stall), just keep doing what you're doing and you should be fine. I know people don't like that advice, but as I said, it's just water, so don't worry about it. Later on, especially if the stall is lasting longer than 2-3 weeks. that's when I think it's important that you look closely at what you are actually burning, as well as really tracking what you are eating. If you don't know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), you should. The closer you are to goal, the harder it is to get the balance right between intake and output to make sure you're not eating too much, so fixing this starts with knowing your BMR and accurate food logging. There's a lot of anecdotal advice thrown around about "ways to break a stall", but there seems to be little scientific evidence for any of it. Most of it certainly won't hurt to try, e.g. breaking up your routine in terms of diet or exercise, but just understand that this change may or may not have had any impact. If it makes you feel better to be proactive, go for it. Longer term, there is one piece of solid advice that's backed up by lots of research: Even if you don't really like working out, do it anyway. Those WLS patients that make a regular habit of exercising for 45 minutes to an hour most days a week are significantly more likely to reach their goal and maintain the weight loss. (One caveat here: significantly changing your exercise routine can make you retain water and possibly even add muscle, so don't freak out if you see a stall or even a gain.) I'll take that exercise advice one step further and say you really should be doing some form of strength training. This is also backed up by lots of studies, but the great thing about strength training is that it makes your burn more calories even at rest (in other words, it increases your metabolic rate). There are lots of other benefits, but the metabolic benefit is the most germaine to the stall question. Those that do strength training are less likely to stall during weight loss.

I had my first stall at week 3 and it lasted 3 weeks. I'm just getting over my second 3-week stall. I've learned that when I stall, it's usually because I need to add more calories. I've recently started eating six times a day. I'm taking in about 900-1000 calories and getting in at least 75 grams of protein.

Ok guys..... (Ive posted this on OH) but decided to post it here as well.... The inevitable happened. Got on the scale this morning, not only am I "stalled" I guess. I am up 3 LBS! LOL How the heck does that happen?? When you work out at least 4 days a week and consume less than 700 calories per day. I must add that I was sleeved on 9-15-09 and have lost 30 lbs, well, 27 since I gained 3 lbs back. I see posts about this ALL the time but gosh, until it happens to you.....you really dont know what it feels like! Also. TOM is usually between the 12th and 15th of the month, so that could be why im retaining.........This really sucks!!!! Just venting. Help, I knew it would happen, just didnt know how horrible I would feel when I did. Thanks for listening!:001_tongue:

This week, since I accomplished all of last week's goals, I'm going to concentrate on not killing anyone as the 3 week stall continues. I'm trying to find my mellow happy place. I seem to have misplaced that damned thing...

Dont forget about the 3 week stall. It happens to most of us. If you do a search here on the website you will see thousands of discussions about it.

Asinger, don't give up on the sleeve. 10lbs down in a week is a lot so perhaps your body is catching up with the loss. There are many threads on this board about what is referred to as the 3 week stall - many helpful tips and thoughts on what is happening when we hit a stall, if that is what you may be experiencing. I have found this very helpful. By the way, yea you for those 10lbs!!!

Stalls happen often after the first 3 week stall. For me, I think the pattern is stall a week lose for two weeks, repeat. Running for an hour every day for me seems to help the continual downward trend. The biggest positive I have noticed is the reduction in chest/stomach and legs. The scale is no longer a weekly need for me. I measure success based on how my clothes fit or how I feel or how I look in the mirror. Can now wear size 34/35 jeans and medium/large shirts. I seem to be 1/2 way between sizes which is a little odd. Just keep meeting and beating your water, protein, and exercise goals. Your stall will break. It is just a matter of time.

When was the last time you lost 27lbs in 3 weeks! That's fantastic. .. That's 9 lbs a week! It will slow down and your probably heading into the 3 week stall. Remember you just had major surgery and your body is in shock from severe calorie restriction. It didn't go on over night. . It won't come off over night. Try tracking with mfp that way you can see the patterns. For most people the weight isn't a steady loss. When graphed it looks more like a flight of stairs or a mountain range. While it's sloped downward there are heaps and valleys. Hang in there, you're only 3 weeks out as am I and it will happen.

Could my hormone injections cause my weight loss stall ? I am 4 weeks post op. I have read about the 3 week stall. I had surgery on Oct. 8 and I took my injection on Oct. 23 and have been stalled since then. I have lost about 20 pounds, but scales has not moved since injection. Very frustrated.

I haven't had surgery yet, but from reading the forums for research, it seems the 3 week stall is a thing. If you search for 3 week stall on here, you get a ton of hits. You'll break through it [emoji3531]

Congrats. Get ready for the 3 week stall. Sent from my SM-G930P using the BariatricPal App

Around the time I was 3 weeks post-op, I began a stall. It has lasted for 17 days now. When do these things usually end??? I asked my surgeon's office and they told me to do a couple of days of liquids to try to get things moving along again, so I guess that is what I'm going to be doing. Not happy about it, but if it gets me on the right track again, then that's great. What has your experience been?

There are a lot of threads on here that talk about the 3 week stall. It is a thing and sounds like almost everyone has encountered it.

So, I haven't been on here in a while, and decided to give an update. I just posted some pictures that I had taken back in June when I was at 222 pounds. I just came out of a 3 week stall and am now at 205 pounds. It was frustrating to not lose anything for such a long period of time, but I think it was because I wasn't exercising as much as I had been due to all that has been going on at work. (Just now getting frustrated typing this because the enter button won't work in this box!) I am happy about my weight, not so much about the saggy skin that is coming up in places where I didn't expect. I also haven't been this weight since after having my son 20 years ago. It's nice and I'm excited to see how much more I will lose and how much better I will look.